The Government on Saturday officially announced the appointment of Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao as the next Ambassador to the

United States, Nearly 70 per cent of the country's population lives in rural areas India is set to become the most populous nation by 2025 and face many new challenges, if population continued to grow at the current rate. Oil-rich South Sudan became the world's newest country on Saturday, splitting away from Khartoumruled north after decades of brutal war that claimed some two million lives. A bust of Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Nobel laureate poet, writer and philosopher was unveiled by Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, in London's Gordon Square on Thursday. Jose Graziano da Silva, the former Brazilian Food Security Minister, will be the eighth Director General (DG) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations said in a statement Indian-origin academician Anantha Chandrakasan has been named head of MIT's Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), the largest academic department at the prestigious American institute. Against all the odds, Japan announced themselves to the world as a new force in women's football by defeating the USA in the World Cup final in Frankfurt on Sunday. US govt-owned financial entity Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC) plans to invest up to USD 820 mn (about Rs 3,600 crore) in the fast- growing Indian renewable energy sector by the end of 2011. More funds for cash-strapped Air India is on the anvil with the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Monday approving in principle additional equity infusion of Rs 1,200 crore and payment of Rs 532 crore for operating VVIP and rescue flig Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch, his son James and former aide Rebekah Brooks will face British lawmakers on Tuesday about the phone-hacking scandal which has engulfed their media empire and rocked police and politicians to the core.hts

Govt to regulate free movement of ammonium nitrate